Broadband wireless networks include a continuum of coexisting, overlapping technologies that enable wireless high-speed communications. One technology, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), has been developed to provide long-range wireless networking capabilities. WiMAX may be a general name given to represent standards associated with the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2009, approved May 13, 2009).
Typically, in WiMAX networks, a subscriber station will attach to a base station (BS) during initial network entry (INE). After attachment, the BS may select a default network gateway, such as an access service network gateway (ASN-GW), to serve the subscriber station. The default ASN-GW may be assigned based upon various criteria, for example, the manufacturer of the ASN-GW. The static assignment of an ASN-GW to a subscriber station may lead to inefficient deployment, use, and control of a network.
Additionally, when a subscriber station moves from a cell associated with one BS to another, the new BS may select another network gateway. This new network gateway may communicate with the originally selected network gateway, which acts as an anchor, to retrieve service flow, among other things. This intra-network gateway communication, or R4 signaling, relies on a hierarchical structure that may also diminish efficiency and bandwidth.